��lad��is Vlad the Impaler, of course, whose mythic cruelty was an inspiration for Bram Stoker�� Dracula. In this sly sequel, Vlad really is undead: dispossessed after centuries of
mayhem by Eastern European wars and rampant blood shortages. More than a postmodern riff on ��he vampire craze,��Vlad is also an anatomy of the Mexican bourgeoisie, as well as our
culture�� ways of dealing with death. For��s in Dracula��lad has need of both a lawyer and a real-estate agent in order to establish his new kingdom, and Yves Navarro and his wife Asunci籀n fit
the bill nicely. Having recently lost a son, might they not welcome the chance to see their remaining child live forever? More importantly, are the pleasures of middle-class life enough to keep
one from joining the legions of the damned?
